Insights

Recent Jury Verdicts And Settlements

The week started off as a bad week for retaliation plaintiffs, but ended on a high note. More after the page break. VA — Former sheriff’s deputy loses retaliation lawsuit in federal court. AL — Former revenue commission employee loses retaliation lawsuit in federal court. TX — Female officer wins failure to promote gender discrimination […]

The week started off as a bad week for retaliation plaintiffs, but ended on a high note. More after the page break.

MO — State appeals court awards hostile work environment plaintiff $3.75 million in punitive damages on appeal. The trial court had reduced the jury’s punitive damages award from $6.5 million to $450,000. The jury had also awarded the plaintiff $50,000 in compensatory damages.

According to the story, “In her lawsuit, which she filed in 2004, Lynn alleged that her shift supervisor, Michael Gill, had repeatedly made lewd, vulgar and sexually graphic comments to her and once hit her on the buttocks with a belt. Another supervisor witnessed Gill “dancing provocatively” behind Lynn while she was working at her station.

Although Lynn complained about Gill’s behavior to another shift supervisor, the company took no action beyond transferring her to a different, late-night shift that began at 2 a.m. Then, after working at TNT as an assembly line scanner for 16 months and earning positive evaluations, Lynn was fired in January 2004.

Evidence showed that Gill was never interviewed or disciplined and that TNT had backdated records in an effort to conceal its handling of Lynn’s complaints to management. The company began offering sexual harassment training to employees at its four Kansas City plants only after Lynn’s termination.”

AZ — Although we previously reported on this settlement, the EEOC has issued a press release regarding its $1.875 million settlement with the University of Phoenix over alleged discrimination against non-Mormons.

OH — The EEOC has announced that a jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned a verdict against Lake Ridge Academy in Cleveland in a retaliation case involved complaints about unequal pay for women. According to the press release, “the jury awarded back pay of $50,000, front pay of $50,000, and compensatory damages of $500,000. While the jury was deliberating the matter of punitive damages, the parties agreed to settle the case for a total of $950,000.”

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Welter Law Firm, P.C.

Welter Insights is a comprehensive national employment law and litigation blog covering recent court decisions, new legislation, active cases and emerging issues at the local, state and federal levels. The articles, written by Welter attorneys, provide actionable insights into the rapidly evolving world of employment and workplace law.

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